I stared at the test kit in my hand like it held the rest of my life in its tiny, plastic body.
It was quiet in the restroom. The kind of silence that wrapped itself around your throat. Zinny's foot tapped nervously against the floor. Ella looked calm, too calm, like she'd already prepared herself for either result.
My hands trembled.
The line appeared.
One.
Just one.
Negative.
A shaky breath left my lungs and I let out a laugh—a real, loud, almost crazy laugh. I held the test out like it was a trophy. "It's negative. Guys… I'm not pregnant!"
They rushed me. All of them. Zinny screamed, Peace nearly tripped over her own shoe, and Ella? Ella actually laughed. Like properly laughed from her chest. And then she did something even stranger—she started singing.
"He has done for me, what my father cannot do…" Her voice rose with each verse, so off-key it made me forget how close I'd come to ruining my life.
"Please stop," I said, between giggles. "You're going to make me pregnant out of fear."
Zinny, not one to let a moment go, crossed her arms dramatically. "Kosi, you were ready to start packing for a convent. Talking about dropping out like you were starring in a soap opera."
I laughed again, this time deeper. I had never felt so seen, so stupid, so free.
"I really thought my life was over," I whispered, wiping my eyes. "Thank God."
For a brief moment, I looked around at the girls. Zinny and Ella. We all had our issues—family drama, heartbreak, poverty—but in that moment, I knew they were real. Not school friends. Not seatmates. Real.
After school, I walked home with lighter steps. Dad was outside, pretending to prune a plant that had already died three weeks ago. When he saw me, he just scowled and muttered something about the company I keep.
I didn't care. He could talk to the dead flower for all I cared. I wasn't pregnant. That was all that mattered.
That evening, I blocked Tunde.
No goodbye. No warning.
He called five times. I watched the phone ring each time and smiled. He had almost ruined me. One sweet voice note and a few kisses in the dark and I nearly gave up my entire future. Never again.
"Men are scum," I whispered to myself as I locked my phone and tossed it under my pillow.
No more relationships.
Not until university.
And even then… they better come correct.